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Monday, August 11, 2014

Baby Shower Weekend!

On Sunday we held a baby shower for my best friend and SIL, Jodie. This is her 3rd baby, her other two kids Jonathan & Jocelyn who are now 8 and 7. Jodie deserved a really nice shower because she had her first two when we were in our really early 20’s and we never got to throw her a proper shower. I hosted her first shower for her, but I don’t even think she registered and her second shower we had people bring gifts for mom, there were only a handful of us at both of those showers so I’m really happy that we were finally able to give her the shower she deserved.

Centerpieces

dessert table with the owl prints I got from Etsy for the nursery!

head table center piece

The theme of baby Johanna’s nursery is owls so we decided to run with that for the shower as well. I found tons of cute stuff on Etsy (of course!) and at Hobby Lobby! I think those are both the top go-to stores for things like baby showers & birthday parties anymore. You can find practically anything you want & Etsy is the place to go for anything custom.

Joe's mom came up with these adorable favor bags made from the same Etsy prints above!

Love the wall art and ceramic owl from Hobby Lobby!

Everything went perfect. Lots of people showed up, she got lots of stuff off of her registry, the food was great, I had lots of help from my co-hosts & Jodie was really happy with the way it all turned out and everything that she got. We can’t wait to meet baby Johanna in just a few short weeks! I can’t wait to keep spoiling her!

I thought that I would touch on hosting a baby shower as an infertile because it’s a subject that I see in the TTC community all the time. It can be a quite a struggle for some to go out and buy items for a baby and have to attend a shower while dealing with infertility. It can be heartbreaking to have to watch someone be in the position that you've been trying to be in for years. For me, it was the opposite; I did not have one moment of sadness, jealousy, anger, or any other negative emotion that could be tied to the situation. I had a blast going to buy stuff for the baby filling my basket up so full I could hardly carry it. It was so much fun to plan the shower and watch it all come together.

I am so happy for my best friend and her family. There is no reason that I wouldn't be. I would never take the circumstances of my situation out on her, however there was a point in time where this would've been a lot harder for me. I have taken the circumstances of my situation out on a friend before. It was early on in our journey before we had seen an RE, before we had any answers, but that does not excuse my behavior at that time. The fences of that friendship have been mended and when I think about that time in my life I realize the tremendous amount of progress and growth that has been made and I’m proud of myself for that and thankful to my support system, my doctor’s, and the TTC community for helping me get where I am today—To the point of sincerity and authenticity in my feelings towards others who are pregnant.

I had to wonder at the same time what everyone else at the shower was thinking about how I might be feeling hosting a baby shower, holding baby Jase, buying all this baby stuff, etc. You hope that people aren't thinking, “I wonder if this is hard for her,” or “I can’t imagine how bad she is feeling right now”, because I’m honestly not. I didn't feel bad and it wasn't hard. It was my pleasure to host the shower, it’s my pleasure to hold baby Jase and get to be a part of his life and have his mom refer to me as “auntie Lena”. It really means a lot to me to be able to be in that position and be there for my friends and family.

I know that this can be a very sensitive subject and a very complicated piece of the infertility puzzle, there are a lot of mixed emotions about these things that make them even harder. Everyone’s experiences are different and I do sympathize with those who just can’t bring themselves to attend a baby shower because it’s just simply too hard. I am just thankful that my experience has been such a positive one and I hope that it can be for others in the same situation.

16 comments:

what a fun shower! i love that you were able to throw her the shower she deserved finally :) i really dont know how i would act or feel if i were in the same situation, i'm an emotional wreck at the best of times. you sound like a fabulous auntie :)

Kudos to you girl for keeping you head held on and being so positive {as always}! I think it would definitely be a hard situation to be in, but I think your thoughts on it are much more mature and thoughtful! The shower is beautiful and I love the owl theme! It turned out great! :)

Such an awesome job on the shower! I'm sure throwing a shower in your early twenties vs now is completely different. Shooot, I don't even know the girl I was in my early twenties. ha! Glad you got to throw her a shower she deserves. I'm sure she'll get to return the favor soon!! I can see how it would be a difficult time for some, yet I can also see how party planning can be therapeutic too! Such a strong woman!

looks like a great party.. you are a great friend. My cousins sister in law had fertility issues.. and when me cousin was in a major car accident after giving birth her sister in law flew in from another country and took care of the infant for months until my cousin recovered. A year later she was blessed with a child of her own.God works in mysterious ways..

Love all the owls! And you just the sweetest most positive infertile out there! My friend who lives right across the street has gotten pregnant the 1st time she tried every time and was even able to conceive while breastfeeding, and surprisingly I have been able to be so happy for her. I know my time (and yours) will come!

Hi! My name is Elena. I'm a small town girl who fought a long hard battle to beat infertility and become a mother. Married, mama to Georgia June our donor egg IVF miracle. Lover of good wine, good friends, and good conversation.